A Broken Promise LeexGaa
by IchigoRain
Summary: Gaara discovers a brand new fear of his; one he would never expect to have. Suffering from the sudden kidnap of the Akatsuki, he feels as though he'll be alone for the rest of his life. Until Lee shows up and shows him a new perspective of life.
1. Chapter 1

A Broken Promise

Chapter 1

_The world was pitch black.There was nothing.No sound, no living thing.Just black.The silence rang through the only human's ears, causing an uncomfortable feeling to flow through his body.What was this place?Why was he here?His body felt stiff, and as he tried to move, he found that his limbs would not listen to his commands. He tried to stand, to walk to try to find someone to help him…But he was frozen.His mouth felt dry, as if he hadn't had a drink of water in decades. He opened his mouth to speak, to call for help.But for some reason, he stayed quiet.A heart began to race, sheer panic spreading through the boys body.He wanted to move. He wanted to shout out to whatever was there, hidden in the opaque shadows that surrounded him. He still struggled to try and move, straining his body as much as he could. He tried to raise his arms over his head, to even stretch out his fingers.Nothing happened._

_'What… is this…?'_

_It was just odd. This had never happened to him before. Why was he frozen? Why couldn't he move?_

_He could feel the sweat dripping down his face, he could feel his eyes clamp themselves shut as he continued to struggle._

_Then, came a sound that made him stop moving all together._

_"Gaara. You look pathetic."_

_His heart felt like it had suddenly stopped, as his pale blue eyes resurfaced, quickly snapping open._

_He stared, he looked around, but there was no one around in the dark shadows._

_Who was there? Why wasn't this person helping him?_

_Then, it hit him._

_It hit him like a brick to the face._

_His heart started up again, beating faster than it had ever done before._

_There, floating above him was a pair of eyes._

_Large, golden eyes, with round dark pupils._

_They were staring at him as he lay there on the floor, staring at him like he was some pathetic bug._

_This… couldn't be, could it…?_

_"Sh…Shukaku…?"_

_A laugh echoed in the dark surfaces, a low, dark laugh that he was awfully familiar with._

_It made every fibre in Gaara's body twitch with fear, something that he hadn't felt for a very long time._

_"I'm surprised you remember me," the Shukaku said, his loud voice booming in the shadowed area. "I feel honoured to be remembered by the great Kazekage."_

_The boy felt his face twist, his eyes narrowing in hatred._

_"How could I forget you, Shukaku? You made my life a living hell."_

_Another low laughing echoed in his ears. This time, it seemed darker than before._

_"Such anger, Gaara," it replied. "Really, I thought that part of you was gone. But I guess not."_

_Again, the place was silent. An annoying buzz rang through Gaara's ears as he stared back at the eyes that continued to watch his shadowed figure. The ominous yellow eyes of the demon that had lived inside of him for most of his life._

_They continued to stare at him, even though he was quiet._

_Though, he was not quiet for long._

_"…Why are you here?" he asked the simple question. "You're not supposed to be here anymore. Because you were-"_

_"Ah, yes, I know," the Shukaku interrupted, suddenly showing off it's glimmering white teeth in a wide grin. "I know that I'm not supposed to be here. Because I was sucked out of your body by that damned Akatsuki, correct? I'm supposed to be dead, aren't I?"_

_Pure silence._

_Then, more laughter._

_"I suppose, I am dead. I'm no longer apart of you, Gaara."_

_"…Then… why are you here?"_

_The grin which was now visible to Gaara's eyes had grown, and suddenly, the whole figure of the great demon had shown itself. _

_It's shoulders reigned high, it's tail coiled around it's bent down legs. The racoon-dog's claws were dug into the dark surface of the floor, and it's eyes narrowed as it bent foreword towards the boy who was seemingly pinned on the floor._

_It's dark tanned body was shadowed, though many cracks were visible._

_It's massive head was now inches from Gaara's face as he continued to stare down at him with it's large eyes. _

_Suddenly, the grin was gone._

_"I've come here to give you a message," it replied to him darkly. "Stop acting so pathetic and get a hold of yourself. And for Kami's sake… stop your damn crying. This was fate's choice. Not mine."_

_Crying? He wasn't crying. The last time he cried was when he was just a child._

_The moisture on his face was sweat. He knew it was._

…_Wasn't it?_

_He felt his faded blue eyes widen, wider than they had been before._

_He could now see his pathetic self reflected in the Shukaku's eyes, his pathetic self that was just lying there._

_His face seemed dirty, darker than it had been. His locks of red hair were messier than usual, which was probably from tossing and turning to try to get up._

_Then, he saw it. He saw what had made his heart stop all together._

_There were his eyes, circled with black from the insomnia he suffered all these years. Droplets of water were falling from his circled, tired eyes, staining his pale white face._

_They fell down his cheeks, past his lips; they flowed like a never-ending river._

_His pale lips slightly parted, the slightest bit of noise escaping from his mouth._

_He was…crying._

- - - - - - - - - - -

"N-nn…"

A low noise emitted through the pales lips of the Kazekage as his dark circled eyes opened, the brightness of the morning sun blinding his vision for a few moments.

It blinded him from the sight of his room, from the sight of the white tall ceiling, from the sight of his entire bedroom.

But he was glad for that moment of blindness.

Because he was finally free from the shadows.

It filled his heart with relief. He never thought that he would be grateful to be in the sunlight again.

What was that dream? Gaara hadn't had one like that in a long time.

And strangely enough, the Shukaku was in it…

The words of the demon played back in his mind as he continued to lay there on his bed.

They didn't make sense to him.

"Get a hold of yourself"? "Stop crying"? "This was fates choice, not mine"?

Gaara didn't understand the demon's message at all.

What was he doing wrong? And he wasn't crying, that was only in his dream-

No… it wasn't just in his dream, was it?

He could still feel the moisture from his eyes trail down his face, pouring from his pale blue eyes.

He felt the salty taste of tears fall into his parted mouth, dripping down his tongue.

And they continued to drip down his face as he sat up from his bed, the white night shirt he wore falling past the top of his shoulders, revealing just the slightest of his pale chest.

The tiniest bit of a noise escaped his pale lips, his thin shoulders suddenly beginning to tremble.

Why? Why was he crying?!

It made no sense!

He no longer felt such emotions. He wasn't… _supposed _to feel them.

Ever since his uncle told him he was hated, and when he killed himself on that day…

Gaara no longer felt such emotions.

So what was so different about this morning?

Well, actually, it wasn't different.

Not from the past month and a half, anyways.

Yes, this wasn't something new. Gaara had been having that same reoccurring dream for a while, now. And had been waking up crying.

Ever since the day… when the Shukaku was taken out of him by the Akatsuki.

Sucked out of his living body, for some selfish plan they had.

"…Ever since that day, I've been able to sleep…" he murmured to himself, his voice breaking out slightly to turn into a low sob as his hands caressed the front of his face. "But why… am I crying? Why am… I so pathetic?"

The Kazekage sat in his mess of white sheets, in the rays of the sunlight, with his hands over the front of his face.

He sat there and started to cry, sob like he was some child.

Subaku no Gaara, the demon of Sunagakure, was crying.

And he continued to do so for quite sometime, the only noise in the whole room was his sobbing.

He just sat and sat… wasting the hours of the morning.

Quite frankly… he just wanted to sit there and never leave his current solitude.

Not now.

Not when he was like this.


	2. Chapter 2

"…Who did you say you were again?"

The early morning winds howled through the village, sand spitting up and darting in every which way outside the gates.

Guards stood above the high walls that protected Sunagakure, shielding the villages from the harsh sand storms that occurred almost every day.

One of these guards stood right in the passage that lead inside, blocking any outsider from entering. His eye brow was cocked upwards as he studied the person before him, unsure of who or why he was even here.

That is, until he got his answer.

"I am Rock Lee! Shinobi of Konohagakure!"

The one who dubbed himself as Lee stood a few feet in front of the guard, a wide, goofy smile plastered on his face. His black haired bowl-cut shifted along with the wind, his insanely thick eyebrows surprisingly doing the same…

He was dressed in his regular attire; a green jumpsuit thrown over his body, a green vest hanging over his broad shoulders. His Konoha head band was wrapped around his waist, the metallic leaf symbol shining in the hot sun of the Suna.

A few droplets of sweat ran down the sides of his face, from running through the deserts for two or three days.

Again, the guard raised his eyebrow.

"Eh? You're from Konoha?" he inquired. "Whaddya want, kid? Security here is tight. We're not letting every single stranger in."

At the question, Lee's grin surprisingly grew wider, his bandaged hand raising to his head to give a salute to the older man.

"Sir! I was sent here by the great Hokage, Tsunade-sama!" he stated, rather loudly. "I wish to see the Kazekage!"

Immediately at that statement, the guard's hazel eyes narrowed down deeply.

"Look, kid, the Kazekage doesn't just see anyone," he said. "Even if you were sent by the Hokage, how do you have proof? Do you have a note or something?"

The grin on Lee's face was now completely wiped clean, now a clueless, blinking look was plastered on his face.

He didn't have a note… Tsunade didn't give him anything for any kind of proof_._

_'I wish she did, though!' _he thought to himself, puzzled on how to convince the guard that he was actually sent here. _'I guess security tightened up after Gaara-kun was kidnapped…'_

That would make sense. If Gaara were to be kidnapped again, that'd be terrible!

Finally, an idea struck him. Something that would get this man to let him in.

"Sir, I can prove to you that I am from Konoha!"

"Oh?"

Lee nodded, another wide smile coming to his slightly pale lips.

"Yes! To prove that I was sent here by the Hokage-sama, I will run one hundred laps around the village!" he exclaimed happily. "And if that does not prove who I am, then I shall do two hundred!"

That was a good idea, right?! He was going to have to believe Lee after he did that!

How else could he prove himself? Certainly by not saying that Tsunade had sent him! No, no. This man would only believe him if he ran his laps!

…Or so he thought.

Awaiting his answer, while quietly snickering to himself (since he thought it was a** great** idea), Lee noticed the angry kind of death glare that the guard was giving him.

The smile was gone once more, as Lee's big googly eyes blinked in confusion.

Why did he look so angry? Wasn't it a good idea?

Apparently, no.

After a few moments of watching the man fume to himself, Lee was suddenly grabbed by the collar of his puffy ninja vest, the guard pulling him close to him.

A vein had popped up on his head, clearing showing that the man was annoyed.

"What are you, stupid?!" he shouted angrily. "How the hell is that going to prove who you are?! That won't change anything, you dumbass Shinobi!!"

Lee could only blink for a moment, stunned at how angry the guard was.

He wasn't joking, though! He would seriously do it!

He had done it in Konoha many, many times. For training, and to prove points!

So why was this different?

"I swear to you, sir! I will run laps to prove myself!" Lee exclaimed, putting up his bandaged hands in defence. "This is no joke! I am very serious! And I do not like being called a dumbass when I'm trying to be serious, sir."

Well, that just made the guard even more annoyed!

Grinding his teeth, the man pulled back his arm, keeping it there in that position as he formed his hand into a fist.

Lee's eyes widened.

Did he get this guy _that_ angry?

"Listen kid, I'm not in the mood for jokes!" he snapped. "No one can do that! And even if you could, you still think I'd let you see the Kazekage?! You-"

"Yusuke! Put your fist down, now!"

At the sudden sound of another voice, Lee, as well as the guard blinked, glancing at the man who stood only a few feet beside them.

"B-Baki?" Yusuke said, slightly confused. "This kid's being an idiot! He's not-"

"We've been expecting him, baka!" Baki shouted, sighing slightly. "Let Lee-san go, now!"

Yusuke sent a cold glare at Lee, who tried to smile to cover himself up. The older man shoved him away from his grip, folding his arms over his chest as he walked back to his post, grumbling something.

Lee could only blink as he was shoved, moving back a few feet to catch himself from falling.

Man, were all people in Suna this grumpy?

Shaking that past moment off, while brushing off his vest, the young man turned to the older who had saved his face from getting a hole in it, saluting him.

"Thank you, sir, I appreciate it!" he exclaimed.

Baki only looked at him for a moment, his non-covered eye trying to hide the fact that it was rolling.

"Er… no problem," he said. "Please forgive Yusuke. He's… been like that ever since Gaara was kidnapped. He barely trusts anyone from outside anymore, unless it's someone he knows."

Lee blinked once more, his hand slowly falling back to his side.

"I guess he's… quite fond of Gaara-kun?"

Baki nodded, arms folding behind his back as he motioned for Lee to come with him, turning to start walking back into the village.

The black haired boy quickly followed, standing a few inches behind the older man as the two of them walked on.

The two traveled through the passage, passing by other guards. Those gave nods to Baki, and gave odd looks at Lee, perhaps realizing that they had seen him before, or that he just looked weird.

Silence rang between the two for a moment, the only noise being heard was the on-going wind, which soon subsided when they had both reached inside of the village, behind the large walls of the fortress.

"Gaara has changed remarkably through the years," the man began. "He's not the monster he use to be. Some people have learnt that. They've realized what a good person he is. People like Yusuke, for instance. But then… there are others who still absolutely despise him."

Lee's eyes narrowed down, glancing at the dirt ground of the village.

His mouth formed up in some sort of frown, one of his bandaged hands forming into a tight fist.

"They… they still think of him as a monster?" he murmured, loud enough for Baki to hear him. "Even though he's done so much for the village? Even though… even though the Shukaku was taken out of his body?"

At that, Baki's broad shoulders stiffened, his uncovered eye closing for a moment.

"…Some cannot forgive the deeds he has done in the past," he replied. "And he has realized that. He realizes that he cannot be fully forgiven. But, Lee-san…"

Lee blinked suddenly, his face returning to normal as he looked up at Baki, realizing that he had stopped walking. His fist unclenched as he continued to watch the other.

"..Hai?"

"We should continue this conversation about Gaara later. But, we should discuss the details of why Tsunade sent you here."

--

"Kazekage-sama!"

A loud knock awoke Gaara from his state of daze, still sitting up in the mess of sheets on his bed.

Only a while ago did he finally stop his pathetic crying, but the boy did not make an effort to get out of his bed.

Turning his gaze to the door, where on the other side stood one of his staff, the red headed boy wiped a remaining tear away from his black circled eye.

"…What is it?" he called back from inside his room, standing up from one side of the bed. He pulled the white nightshirt he had on back over a thin shoulder, his bare chest still visible to his gaze.

He made his way over to his dresser, slender bare legs rubbing against each other as he did so.

"S-sir, I was just… worried about you," the man replied through the door, his tone seemingly full of worry. "You… you're usually out and about by now, so I was just-"

"I'm fine," Gaara interrupted, pulling open his dresser to grab the outfit he planned to wear that day. "You don't have to worry about me anymore."

"…R-right," the man said after a while, shifting uncomfortably from behind the door. "I'll leave you be, then."

The mans footsteps were heard, walking away from Gaara's room, and down the hall to wherever he needed to go next.

Gaara waited until they were completely gone before he let out a sigh, running a hand through his dark locks of red hair.

He didn't understand why anyone was still so worried about him. The Shukaku was gone. No one else would be coming to kidnap him again.

And why would anyone continue to think that? Now that the demon was gone from his body, he was useless. No person was stupid enough to come back to Suna after what had happened.

Unless they wanted some sort of war to start.

The thought of it was just plain annoying. Going through something like that again… it wouldn't be as nerve racking as before.

And he was bloody well sure of that.

Heaving another low sigh, Gaara unbuttoned his night shirt, undressing and throwing it on his bed. He picked up his Kazekage outfit, wrapping it around his thin body and doing it up, straightening it out and fixing the collar as he did so.

Glancing at himself in the full-length mirror that stood a few feet away from his dresser, his lip lightly quivered, making him look away.

The sight of himself… it just disgusted him. It always did, but more so now a days.

How could he not think of himself as so, when he had been crying everyday for more than a month? How could he keep sobbing, like he was some child?

He needed to figure out his problem.

And he needed to do it fast.

Stepping gracefully away from his reflection, while having his robes trail behind him, Gaara left his solitude back in his bedroom as he made his way down the hallway of the building, making his way to his office.

His pale hands slid into the sleeves of his robes as he gave nods to familiar faces who passed him by.

For some reason… he had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. It sat there, rather uncomfortably.

He wasn't sure why…

Maybe it was because he was concerned for his dreams? Or… maybe it was because-

"Oof!"

Suddenly coming in contact with another body, Gaara's pacing stop, stumbling backwards a bit to catch himself from falling.

What was that? IWho/I was that?

He must have been too warped in his thoughts to notice anyone walking down the hall…

"Eh? G-Gaara-kun!"

Blinking ever so slightly, Gaara looked down to the ground, seeing a very familiar shin obi sitting on his backside, grinning back up at him.

The slightest bit of emotion showed on Gaara's face, making it clear that this visit was indeed unexpected.

"…Lee-san?"


	3. Chapter 3

Strange. It was all he could call it.

The meeting between the two, like this… why was Lee even here in the first place?

He had heard no news of his arrival. And he certainly wasn't expecting any guests…

And he certainly didn't _want_ any guests.

It wasn't like he was completely anti-social, but what if one of his friends from outside of the village saw him in his crying state? So far, no one knew about it. Not even his siblings.

If Lee did find out, though… Gaara wasn't very sure what he was going to do.

The boy would think he was pathetic, and would probably…

No. He didn't have time to think on that matter right now. He had to find out why the boy was even here in the first place…

"Um… Gaara-kun? Are you alright?"

Blinking slightly, finally realizing that he had been warped in his thoughts, the Kazekage looked back down at the boy who was still sitting on the floor, looking up at him.

He still had a slight smile on his face, and his legs were bent upwards, his feet planted on the floor, as well as his behind.

Did Gaara really have that much strength in him?

"Ah… I'm sorry about that, Lee-san," the red head apologized, bending forward slightly and extending his hand to the other shinobi.

He watched as Lee hesitated, his large brown eyes blinking in either shock or disgust.

It was neither, really. Lee was just happy that he was being offered help.

Smiling once more, he raised his bandaged hand, and was soon on his feet, with the help from Gaara.

Lee wiped off some dust that was on his legs, and Gaara's arm simply fell back to it's side.

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked, concern not showing very well in either his facial expression or the tone of his voice.

Lee only nodded, another wide smile coming to his face.

"Yes! I am fine, Gaara-kun," the boy replied, straightening out his green vest. "I suppose I was not watching where I was going. Sorry about that."

Gaara simply shook his head. While this boy was rather annoying and hyper, he had a polite side.

Which, really, the Kazekage was glad for.

"It's quite alright," he replied to the Konoha shinobi. "But… I do have a question for you, Lee-san…"

Lee blinked slightly, his shoulders lightly stiffening.

"Nani, Gaara-kun?"

Was it not completely obvious?

Oh well…

"Why are you in Suna? It is rather odd to see you here… and I did not receive any news from your Hokage, or your Sensei about your arrival…"

"E-eh? Oh, that…" Lee murmured lightly, scratching the back of his head. He chuckled lightly, and… was that a slightest bit of a blush on his face? "I'm here because-"

"-Of an important matter that the three of us should discuss."

Hearing another voice, Gaara's gaze lifted from Lee, to the man behind him. There stood Baki, and, well, apparently, he had been there this whole time.

Why didn't he make any motion to speak?

…And why didn't he notice his Sensei in the first place?

His words made Gaara somewhat curious, and if he had any eyebrows, they would certainly be furrowing.

Lee turned around to look at the older man, then looked back at Gaara and nodded, giving off another smile.

"Perhaps we can talk about this in your office, Gaara-kun?" the boy suggested, his shoulders heaving up and down into a shrug. "I'm sure it would be better than talking out in the hall."

--

In a matter of moments, the three men had arrived in the office of the Kazekage, the sun seeping through the window that was next to Gaara's desk.

Lee had noted that the place was much more organized than Tsunade's.

…Well, it kind of was.

The woman usually had a couple of sake bottles on the floor, along with her pet pig, and numerous piles of paperwork scattered across the room.

Of course, his friend was much too young to drink, so there were no traces of alcohol in the room, nor was there any sort of animal.

Though, there were a few piles of paperwork on Gaara's desk, of course, not as high as Tsunade's.

Everything else was very neat and tidy; Lee thought that the Suna was lucky for having such an organized Kage that didn't gamble, or drink…

Upon entering, Gaara ushered for both Baki and Lee to sit on the two chairs in front of his desk, while the Kazekage resigned on the one behind it.

Lee did sit, but Baki continued to stand, his hands folded in front of him.

The room was silent for a moment. Gaara's arms folded on the surface of his desk, his dark rimmed eyes glancing back and forth between the two men before him.

"So… mind telling me of this "important business"?" the red head inquired, leaning over on his desk slightly.

Lee glanced up at Baki, blinking. The man sighed and took a step forward.

"Lee-san is here… from an order from the staff of the village, and the Hokage of Konoha," the man replied, arms folding against his chest. "Gaara… since your kidnapping, the village has been extremely worried for your safety. We realize that the Shukaku is no longer residing in your body, but still, we fear that the Akatsuki, or another group of ninja, may be coming after you."

There was another moment of silence.

The look on Gaara's face clearly indicated that he wasn't impressed so far.

"…Like you said, the Shukaku is gone," the boy replied coldly, sitting back in his chair. "To others, now, I am useless. Especially to the Akatsuki. I don't believe that any other group of ninja may be coming after me. I have lost the ability to use the sand. I can barely move it anymore. What you are saying is completely-"

"No! It's not!" Lee suddenly interrupted, raising from his chair. His eyes were wider than usual, his hands clenched into heavy tight fists. "Gaara-kun, some one is out there. We are sure of it."

Not a single emotion flickered on Gaara's face.

"How can you be so sure?"

At that, Lee's body stiffened. His eyebrows furrowed together as he reached down into his pocket, pulling out a single slip of paper that was folded up together.

"Tsunade-sama found this in her office," the boy replied, handing the small note to Gaara. "It's… a threatening letter that has made a lot of people scared. One of those people being Tsunade-sama herself… though she's not one to admit it.."

Pale blue eyes flickered in either amusement, or surprise as the note was handed to him.

Something that even scared Tsunade? He did not know the woman well, aside from the meetings they had from time to time, but Gaara always assumed that it would take a lot to frighten this woman. She was strong, and in some ways, reminded him of his sister.

But, none the less, the paper soon came in contact with his fingers. Gaara slowly unfolded the piece of paper, and the contents inside made his face light up in surprise.

_Dear Hokage-sama,_

_It would be wise to watch your back. Konoha is not as safe as it was before._

_New ninjas are beginning to rebel; some, maybe, stronger than the infamous Akatsuki. People are growing tired of following the rules. We want to lash out, be in large battles, commit crimes that no one would ever imagine!_

_We are but a small group. Our name will remain hidden until further notice._

_These lands are growing tiresome, peace is getting much too boring. Our leader has decided to have a little fun, by stirring up the villages one by one._

_We will eagerly follow him. We will follow all of this commands._

_We will start wars, we will assassinate. We will kidnap, we will steal, and we will kill with no mercy._

_This world is not meant for peace._

_Humans are naturally violent creatures._

_We are not afraid to show our power!_

_Be careful, dear Hokage-sama._

_You, or perhaps, any other Kage in this land, may be in grave danger._

_Let the games begin. _

Gaara read in silence, his eyes trailing over the last sentence of the letter again and again.

He lowered the paper from his view, placing it on his desk.

His eyes were narrow downwards, angrily.

Clearly, the boy was not pleased.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" he snapped coldly, looking back up at Lee. "Do you even know if these people are being serious? Perhaps this is just some work of a child, trying to have some fun."

"No, Konoha is positive that is no joke," Lee replied, lightly shaken up from the tone, and frightening look that Gaara had given him. "Ever since Tsunade-sama received this letter, crimes have been stirring in the village. So far, they are only petty, but there have been numerous shinobi injured in the process."

Silence rang through the room.

Gaara just sat and stared at the boy in front of him, and Lee simply stared back. Did Gaara think he was joking? If so, that was not the case!

He was being extremely serious… though, why was his friend so… angry?

No, maybe he wasn't angry… maybe it was something else…

Was he afraid, as well? He couldn't blame him, of course. If Lee was in such a high position with the risk of being assassinated, he would also be frightened.

But… Gaara never showed fear. He was normally calm, all the time.

Why the sudden change in attitude? Unless…

"So. The shinobi countries are in grave danger, then," Gaara suddenly said, interrupting Lee from his thoughts. "As well as the Kage's."

Lee only nodded.

"Was your mission here to only give me this letter? Or is there something else that you've yet to tell me, Lee-san?"

Another ring of silence entered.

Lee glanced at Baki, whom was still standing behind him. The older man just gave a nod, then the boy with the bowl-cut turned back to his Kazekage friend, grinning widely, while bringing his bandaged hand to his forehead to salute him.

"Yes, actually! Out of fear, Konoha has sent shinobi to different countries, all with the same job. And that job is to protect that Kage, no matter the cost! Gaara-kun… until this matter is resolved, I, Rock Lee of Konoha, will be your body guard!"


	4. Chapter 4

Honestly, this was not expected. Why was Gaara being surprised today more than he wanted to be?

He did not want this, at all.

A body guard? Someone who would probably be with him twenty four seven?

He seriously didn't need that right now.

What if Lee found out about him, and how he woke up every morning in tears? What would he do if he walked in on him, sobbing?

He would laugh. Yes, he would.

He would laugh at how pathetic Gaara looked.

…No.. would he? Lee wasn't that type of person. He, actually, was a kind boy, though extremely dense at times…

Still, the Kazekage wondered what the other boys reaction would be to his tear stained face.

Well, all together, he would rather not think about that ordeal.

He did not want it to happen.

And, in all of his power, he would make sure it wouldn't.

It took a moment for Gaara to reply to Lee's statement about the whole body guard arrangement.

Wasn't this a bit too extreme? Sure, Konoha was worried about the safety of the other villages, and their Kage's, but to send their own shinobi out as body guards?

He expected something a little different, though, still wasn't quite sure what it would really be. Of course, the village must have been smart enough to only send shinobi to their ally countries.

If not, then that would be rather silly of Tsunade for her to send ninja to enemy grounds.

Though, he was sure that the woman wasn't Ithat/I foolish.

Or… at least he hoped so.

After a moment or two of thoughts, Gaara had finally replied to the other boy.

His response?

"I do not need a body guard."

Stubborn little fool he was. But, hell. He honestly didn't.

Obviously, this… threat letter was a joke. It had to be. What foolish person would want calamity instead of peace? Why would they simply follow an order to start a war with no reason to?

It was moronic.

Gaara was still having a hard time believing all of this.

Perhaps, if such a thing were to happen three years ago, when he was quite the sadistic child… well, he wouldn't feel so bad about it.

Maybe even he would enjoy starting wars, killing those who got in his way with no mercy…

He enjoyed doing so all that time ago.

Now, though, he had changed. He owed that to Naruto…

If he hadn't changed his view of the world, who knew what Gaara would have done now…

"Gaara-kun."

At the sound of Lee's voice, Gaara's gaze lifted to meet his wide black eyes, which were staring hard back at him.

The boy seemed… upset, somehow. Like he was hurt. His face also seemed a bit paler than usual…

What was wrong with him?

"You do need a body guard," Lee said firmly, moving closer to the other boys desk. He put his hands firm down on the hard surface, making a loud noise as he did so. His shoulders lowered slightly so that his face was at level with Gaara's, his gaze never leaving the other boy.

Gaara just sat there, completely unfazed.

"The only problem is," the black haired boy continued. "You don't Iwant/I one. And I really could care less if you're happy with this situation or not. The fact is… this is my duty. My mission here is to protect you with my life, and protect you from those fools who are trying to destroy the world's peace! Gaara-kun, I am not going to leave Suna until those freaks are caught. I won't let you die again!"

Those words… that last sentence…

That completely took Gaara off guard.

His dull, boring eyes suddenly widened, showing emotion on his face for the first time in a while. Lee… he was… really concerned about him?

Or was this just a mission that he had to complete, and nothing more?

He wanted to say something back to the shinobi, but when he opened his mouth to speak, no words were able to form. He… could only sit and stare at the boy, in total awe.

He felt a wave of emotion cast over him, he felt his heart racing. Faster than it had before.

"You…"

It was all he could say.

Lee, caught this wave of emotion that clearly showed on Gaara's face.

Oh… did he just say that out loud? Why did he get so upset like that?

…Oh dear. He didn't think that he would spazz out like that.

The firm look on the boys face had finally softened, his eyes, just as wide as Gaara's. What came over him, all of a sudden?

He couldn't believe that he actually said… that..

"I-I'm sorry," he managed to stutter, backing away from the other boys desk, a light pink blush casting over his cheeks. "I didn't… mean to get so… angry at you."

It was an awkward silence between the two, though, Gaara just continued to stare at Lee.

He knew that people were worried about him when he was kidnapped… he was told how upset Naruto had gotten when Chiyo gave her life to save him…

Though, something like this was never said straight to his face. Something so… dramatic, if you will.

But… this was no time to stare at Lee as if he were some work of art.

Closing his eyes for a mere moment to make the emotion on his face seep away, they reopened in a matter of moments, and the stoic, cold look that Gaara was famous for was back on his features.

Though, Lee still looked rather flustered.

"It's… alright," he said, softer than before. "I shouldn't have been so stubborn in the first place."

Was it the tone in Gaara's voice that made Lee suddenly look up again? Or was it the fact that the red head had admitted to being stubborn?

Either way, this silent moment was now going to be interrupted.

"I don't mean to be in the way or anything, but…"

Hearing Baki from behind, Lee turned around, blinking slightly.

Oh… he was still here? The man was so quiet, Lee barely noticed that he was still there!

The boy made an uncomfortable noise in his throat, while Gaara stared off towards his former sensei.

"What is it, Baki?"

"I forgot to inform you of this earlier, Gaara," he began, stepping forward so he stood beside Lee. "Upon Lee-san's arrival, we ran into some of the council. They'll be needing your presence for the next meeting, which will be coming up in a few minutes."

A meeting? Ah, yes, he had almost forgotten about it. Nodding slowly, the Kazekage stood from his desk, straightening out his white robes and pushing back his chair as he walked around his desk. His pale eyes had landed on Lee, and the older boy seemed to be staring right back at him.

That moment before… it was awkward. And what had the black haired boy meant by saying he didn't want him to die again?

Sure, he considered Lee as his friend. But… he didn't know that he was so compassionate about keeping his life stable.

Even though he thought of this new rebel group to be fake.

Lightly shaking his head to clear all thoughts, Gaara continued onto the door, but stopped as his hand touched the handle.

"Lee-san, what will you be doing while I'm in this meeting?" he asked, curious.

The question had caught the boy off guard, and he merely blinked.

"Uhm… well… I suppose I will be accompanying you!" he announced, grinning slightly. "I am your body guard after all, Gaara-kun. I have to be by your side every second of the day."

Every second of the day? Kami… if he really meant that - which of course, Gaara was certain of- the boy would certainly find out about his problem sooner or later.

And if he was going to find out, the he hoped that it would be later.

But, really, you know; he didn't want him to know at all.

Keeping the bit about him crying every morning was just as terrible. He couldn't believe himself, why he was getting to be so weak.

It had been a month since this all had started. So… everyday, for a month, he had cried.

How pathetic.

The first time; the only time that he had cried, before all of this had happened, was on the day that Yashamaru had tried to kill him.

And, when he had found out that the man didn't love him like he had said.

That their whole relationship was one big lie.

Gaara thought that his uncle was the only person who had actually cared about him, and when he said that he hated the young boy…

His whole world shattered.

In his thoughts, hesitation grew in the room, and the red head had almost forgotten to answer Lee's question.

Blinking back into reality, he nodded as a response.

"Soudeska," he spoke in return, turning to leave the room. "Then let's be off."

The door to Gaara's office opened after a few seconds, and the Kazekage, Lee, and Baki left the room and wandered down the hallway, off to the room where the meeting was to be held.

It was still only morning, but Gaara was wishing for night to come, so he could just lay in his bed and forget about all of the commotion that had happened today.

But he knew that the day still had hours to come.

Besides, even if it was night, and he managed to fall asleep, he would just wake up in tears the next morning.

And what good was that?


	5. Chapter 5

Edit: Mmkay, so, the first few chapters of this won't be filled with gore and whatnot, but later on, it might get bloody, since there will be a battle scene. And after a while, there will be some um.. yaoi action that same people might not want to read. xD; Just giving a heads up.

There was one word to describe this meeting.

And that very word?

Boring.

Not only did the men in that room stare at Lee with great dislike, but he also had no idea what anyone was talking about.

Now he was regretting saying that he would attend this meeting in the first place.

Of course, what else could he say? Wouldn't it be rude if he said he was going to do something else? Like… go off to train for a few hours without Gaara?

Certainly, he could not do that by himself! Gaara would definitely be upset if Lee left him alone.

…Or so he was telling himself.

But, hey, he didn't want to be alone either, did he? The only people he knew in this village were Gaara, Baki, Temari and Kankuro. And since Baki seemed like he was always in a fowl mood, the boy certainly didn't want to be alone with him for a long time. And Temari and Kankuro always seemed to be annoyed by his presence.

Gaara was the only one who seemed the most interested in being with him, even if that interest was low. After the incident three years ago with one of the sound ninjas, Kimimaro, the two had certainly become closer than they had before.

Very closer.

When they had first met, Gaara was quite the sadistic boy. The air around him was dark and fowl, and the scent of death seemed to linger around him. As well as the scent of loneliness.

In the Chuunin exams, the younger boy had almost killed Lee. And if Gai had stepped in, then he would not be here to this very day.

Gaara seemed like he wanted to kill Lee. And, well, he probably did want to.

There was no emotion in the sand shinobi's eyes when they fought. Except when he had been caught off guard when Lee had first struck him.

Truth be told, he was scared to fight Gaara. He had feared for his life.

But still…He knew Gaara was a strong opponent. And if he could defeat him, then that meant he could go up against Neji, and Sasuke Uchiha!

But, of course… he had failed. He lost the fight, and what was even worse, had to stay in the hospital for a very long time.

Still, it wasn't like he worried about that anymore. That was three years ago!

Besides, after that, Gaara saved his life. He was eternally grateful for that.

And everything that happened in the past, was going to stay in the past.

"…I believe we should keep the letter hidden from the rest of the village, Gaara-sama. Even though it would be a good idea to give them some sort of heads up, we don't want to put them in any sort of panic."

Blinking widely, the sudden voice had brought Lee out of his thoughts right away.

Oh dear… he zoned out quite a bit, didn't he?

"Hai. I agree with you, Jiro," Gaara had replied. Lee looked over at him, to see that he was leaning forward at his seat, his arms folded in front of him. "It's best that they do not know. They may go looking for this group themselves. And if they do that, then they'll be putting themselves in too much danger. Minnasan. Please keep this a secret for now."

There was a pause, and all of the men in the room nodded their heads.

Gaara glanced over at Lee, his icy blue eyes flashing with something.

Lee gulped, and just nodded as well.

"Good. Now I-"

"Wait, Gaara-sama," came a sudden voice. Lee glanced over at the man that just spoke, and noticed that it was the same man who had gotten so angry at him earlier that day at the front gate.

Wow, he didn't even see him there!

But he looked… very angry.

His dark coloured eyes seemed plastered on Lee, and his hair was certainly messy (Lee guessed this was because of the wind from outside). His arms were folded over his chest, and he was now wearing robes that were similar to the rest of the men in the room. The green shinobi vest was nowhere to be seen.

Since he had been leaning against the door frame, the man known as Yusuke stood up fully on his feet and walked a few feet forwards.

Gaara simply stared.

"Yes, Yusuke?"

"I want to know why that idiot is here," he simply stated, locks of black hair falling into his eyes. "We've just been talking about the threat letter this whole meeting. But this guy isn't apart of the council, nor is he from Suna! I don't mean to be rude, but Gaara-sama, you haven't told us who he is, or why he's here."

There was a moment of silence, and Lee wasn't quite sure what he should do. Should he have stood up and told Yusuke that he was here to protect Gaara? Should he have told him that he was not an idiot, and his reason being here was not some petty matter?

It was strange, but he felt a small shred of panic rip through his body. Just about to open his mouth, he stopped himself when he saw Gaara stand up from his seat and tuck his hands in his robs, intense blue eyes never leaving Yusuke's.

"Though I know this wasn't your intention, you are being quite rude, Yusuke," the young Kazekage stated simply. "Lee-san may be a bit… dense at times. But I can assure you, he is no idiot. And I was about to get why my friend has come to Suna. Would you like me to continue, or do you want to keep talking yourself for the remainder of the day?"

Complete silence quickly filled through the room. The men around the table stared in awe at Gaara, and Lee was quite surprised at what his friend had just said.

And he said that… for his sake..

Yusuke looked like he had just been slapped across the face. With his eyes completely wide, and his mouth slightly hanging open, he just stared at Gaara, completely dumb founded.

Gaara stared at him back, looking bored.

It took a few moments, but as Yusuke re-collected himself, he shut his mouth tight and let his arms fall to his side. And in a second, he was bent forewords and was bowing.

"…I'm sorry."

Lee blinked again, and glanced back towards his friend. Gaara just stared at Yusuke, then turned his attention back to the table.

"…As I was saying," he continued, motioning Yusuke to stop his bowing. "I would like to introduce you all to Lee-san; whom was sent to Suna on behalf of the Hokage from Konoha. He will be my bodyguard-" Lee could sense the hint of annoyance as Gaara said this "-and will be by my side until this whole thing is over. I'd like you all to treat him with respect, and treat him with care. He is a good friend of mine, and I will be highly disappointed if I find out that any of you have been treating him roughly."

There was a small silence as the men glanced towards Lee, though quickly, that silence was subsided as Lee stood up from his chair.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," the black haired boy said with a smile, bowing to everyone in the room. "As Gaara-kun said, I will be by his side until we have found out who this group is. I will be protecting him with my life. But please, do not make haste to become friends with me! It would be very nice if we could all become acquainted with each other."

There was another silence in the room, but Lee could see that some of the men were trying to hide a small snicker. What? Was trying to become friends with everyone somewhat weird?

Ah, well. It didn't quite matter to him anyways.

He glanced over at Gaara, with that same wide smile on his face, expecting another bored expression like he had on all day. But, to his surprise… the younger boy looked somewhat shocked. His eyes were slightly wide, and his mouth had opened just a tad.

And he just sat there and… stared at him.

--

The hours in the day had left as quickly as they had came, and what a long day it had been. First, he had been greeted for the morning with another dreadful dream, and had found himself once more in his state of tears.

It was rather troublesome, and you would think that he would have gotten used to it by now.

Then, out of nowhere, his friend from Konoha showed up and began spouting nonsense that, at the time, Gaara barely understood. A new group of rogue ninja, trying to bring chaos to the shinobi world? To destroy everything in their path? To kill anyone in their way?

It sounded like rubbish to him. And even though the day was pretty much over, it was still a little unbelievable.

…Though, what was even more unbelievable was the fact that Lee was being so protective. Twice in that day, he had said that he would be protecting him with his life. And Gaara assumed by that as well, the older boy meant that he would also give up his life for him. He would… die for him.

…He had never heard someone say that to him before. He… never thought that he would hear it. Not even from his siblings, or… even Naruto for that matter.

Why was he so content on protecting Gaara so much? Was it just because this was his mission? Or… or did Lee really care about what happened to him?

…Gaara really didn't know what to think. All he knew was that he hoped this matter would be resolved soon.

He lay quietly in his mass of sheets, arms resting pleasantly over his head. Here he was, about to sleep once more.

And about to dream the same thing he had been dreaming about for a month and a half.

He was dreading it. He didn't want to see the Shukaku anymore. Though he had gone through a lot of pain, death, and resulted in loosing most of his power, he was glad that the monster was out of his body for good.

And you would have thought sleeping would be a good thing. He always longed for it. For his entire life.

Now… he didn't want it.

He wanted to stay awake.

But he knew that wasn't going to happen.

The sudden knock on his door had made Gaara jump slightly. His head shifted from staring at the ceiling to go on staring at the door a few feet away from his bed, blinking slightly in surprise.

He hadn't even heard any foot steps coming down the hall way.

"Gaara-kun? Are you still awake?"

…Was that…

"..Is that you, Lee-san?" Gaara had inquired as he slid off of his bed and made his way over to the door, deciding to just leave it closed and talk through it.

"Ah, yes it is!" Lee had announced behind the door, and Gaara could just imagine the boy grinning stupidly. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright, since I am you're body guard and all. Oh, and I just wanted to tell you that my room is right next to yours; so if you need me for anything, just call me and I will come for you!"

A pause. Silence rang between the two and the door for a moment.

Gaara just stared at the door as if Lee was standing there himself, pale blue eyes blinking.

Why… why was he making so much of an effort to protect him…?

"…Thank you," the Kazekage said softly after a moment, his eyes falling to the floor. "For all that you're doing, I mean. I'm… not used to this sort of treatment."

Lee blinked on the other side of the door, even though Gaara was unaware of it.

"Ah… well, you know, there's no need to thank me," he replied, and again, Gaara could imagine the boy smiling. "I'm doing this because I want to. I'm worried for your safety, Gaara-kun. I… I don't want anything to happen to you."

…What?

He… he really was concerned? He wasn't doing this just because it was a mission..?

Gaara was caught completely off guard, and he was rather glad that he hadn't opened the door. If Lee had saw him in such a surprised state… there was no telling what would happen.

He couldn't speak. He couldn't even utter another "thank you", or question why Lee didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

All he could do was… stare at the wooden door. And after a while, he had lifted one of his slender hands and touched the surface of it. Just… standing there, staring.

…He didn't know what to say.

"Ah, well, I suppose I should get to sleep. You should too, Gaara-kun! It's not good to strain yourself by not sleeping."

No…

"Goodnight! I'll see you in the morning!"

With that, the soft padding of footsteps soon disappeared down the hall, and Gaara was once again left alone in his bedroom.

His hand was still on the door. He was still staring at it as if someone was there.

Then, his body shifted; he leaned against the door more, bring one of his arms around his own waist as he slowly slid down the surface, that one hand still in contact with the door.

His head and rested against it softly as well as he found himself on the floor, sitting on his legs. His eyes became dull, the emotion from his face washing away completely.

He was alone. Left to dream by himself, again.

"…No.." he murmured quietly. "Don't go…please…"

He knew Lee couldn't hear him. But… he didn't stop.

"I don't… I can't go through this anymore…. I don't… I don't want to feel this pain…!"

He felt like he was about to cry. But he told himself to save it for the morning.

"…Please… come… come back… Lee-san.."

But he knew. He knew that no one was going to come back for him.

Not tonight.


End file.
